Longing for a Return to Summer and Traveling

While summer has long past, if it ever really arrived in London, the talk of snow later this week made it seem like a good time to revisit our summer holiday to Slovenia. For a second straight year we spent our primary summer break in the former Yugoslavia. While Slovenia has more of a western European feel than many of its Balkan neighbors, it retains the charms of a country still largely undiscovered by the average holiday maker. Add to this a geography that is often, and rightfully so in our opinion, described as Europe in miniature. What makes it even more impressive is that such diverse landscape and culture is packed into a country roughly the size of New Jersey with a population barely breaking two million.

Our eight days/seven nights consisted of stays at two tourist farms separated by all of a 2 1/2 hours but in completely different settings. Our first four nights were spent on a farm in Triglav National Park, which is nestled within the Julian Alps in the northwest of the country. From this base we visited Lake Bled and Lake Bohinj, hiked to several waterfalls and walked along the amazing Vintgar Gorge just outside Bled.

Vintgar Gorge

Lake Bohinj

Our final three nights were in the Karst region in the southwest staying on a farm/vineyard. We spent a day exploring the Primorska wine region, including an excellent tour/tasting at Simcic, another day relaxing along the Adriatic in picturesque Piran and our final day at the Skocjan caves. On top of all this we found the time to meet a number of really friendly people, eat excessively and drink plenty of wine. Hopefully the pictures can do the trip and this fantastic little country some justice.

Piran

While it isn't possible to pick favorites between the huge variety of place we've visited over the past 2+ years, Slovenia is definitely somewhere we hope to return to one day and is definitely near the top of the list of our favorite trips.

- Jason

ISO Sunshine

I mentioned earlier that a few of our trips over the last few months have been in search of some sun.  Unfortunately, this was the worst summer in England yet.  In fact, in England, they don't actually call summer "summer" flat-out, they call it "English summer".  As-in, "Enjoying the English summer?" No, not really, thanks. 

When the temperature hits 70F for more than 2 days, they start making announcements on the Underground: "During this time of extreme heat, it is advisable to carry bottled water with you.  If you feel unwell, please do not get on board train."

Anyway, in early July as days went from grey and tepid to moderately spring-like and occasionally blue-ish, and I watched half of my wardrobe go unused again, we looked at the calendar and realised we had 5 free weekends upcoming, and so we booked a flight back to Lisbon.  We've been to Lisbon a few times, so I won't dwell on it other than to say Jason nearly cried tears of joy when he had the opportunity to get into his swimsuit and get in the Atlantic: 

Look at all that blue-ness!

Swimsuit pictures are sometimes unappreciated

Then in October, in search of a real beach vacation, we booked a bargain-basement priced end-of-season flight & lodging to Corfu, a northern Greek island situated west of Albania.  Well, we knew at booking that there was a risk was that we would be approaching the beginning of the rainy season.  Out of our 5 days, we managed to get 2 decent ones, 1 great one, and 2 wash-outs.  Still, nice to sit & read, with absolutely nothing to do.  

Corfu is not one of the more glamourous of the Greek islands, yet (perhaps owing to this?) it is a favourite of the English.  Fortunately given the season the crowds were thinner, so while we were surrounded by Brits or others, they didn't press in from all sides and we were alone most of the time - dining, hiking, boating, etc.  We spent a relaxing few days in solitude, eating lots of Feta cheese, drinking loads of wine, and getting away from it all!

Really getting away from it all

Concentrating on the Classics

So, a moderately-climated beach vacation, which was still a big improvement over the local weather. But the English summer is certainly finished here.  So at least they're not making ridiculous Tube announcements.  Well... that's a lie.  There is, after all, a good service on all London Underground lines. (Except when there's a strike, planned engineering works, signal failure, and/or an individual under a train.)

Full album links are at the right!